Free fish ID tool

Clownfish Types: Species & Morph Identifier

There are about 28 to 30 types of clownfish species: around 28 in the genus Amphiprion plus the Maroon clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus), with the exact number depending on which authority you follow. This free identifier covers 21 species and 13 popular designer morphs, so you can filter by colour, bars, temperament, and tank size, open a full profile, and find the right clownfish for your tank.

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Clownfish identifier

Filter clownfish types

Showing 34 of 34 clownfish

Prices are approximate US retail and vary by region, retailer, size and grade. Availability changes with breeders and imports. Illustrations are simplified drawings, not photos.

Clownfish picker

Which clownfish is right for my tank?

  1. 1. Ocellaris Clownfish Peaceful

    • Fits your tank: a pair needs at least 20 gal (76 L).
    • Hardy and forgiving, a good first clownfish.
    • Captive-bred and easy to find.
    • Does fine without an anemone in captivity.
    • Peaceful with community fish.

  2. 2. Percula Clownfish Peaceful

    • Fits your tank: a pair needs at least 20 gal (76 L).
    • Hardy and forgiving, a good first clownfish.
    • Captive-bred and easy to find.
    • Does fine without an anemone in captivity.
    • Peaceful with community fish.

  3. 3. Misbar Ocellaris Peaceful

    • Fits your tank: a pair needs at least 20 gal (76 L).
    • Hardy and forgiving, a good first clownfish.
    • Captive-bred and easy to find.
    • Does fine without an anemone in captivity.
    • Peaceful with community fish.

  4. 4. Black Ocellaris Peaceful

    • Fits your tank: a pair needs at least 20 gal (76 L).
    • Hardy and forgiving, a good first clownfish.
    • Captive-bred and easy to find.
    • Does fine without an anemone in captivity.
    • Peaceful with community fish.

  5. 5. Snowflake Ocellaris Peaceful

    • Fits your tank: a pair needs at least 20 gal (76 L).
    • Hardy and forgiving, a good first clownfish.
    • Captive-bred and easy to find.
    • Does fine without an anemone in captivity.
    • Peaceful with community fish.

  6. 6. Naked Ocellaris Peaceful

    • Fits your tank: a pair needs at least 20 gal (76 L).
    • Hardy and forgiving, a good first clownfish.
    • Captive-bred and easy to find.
    • Does fine without an anemone in captivity.
    • Peaceful with community fish.

Keep one pair per tank in most systems. Clownfish are born male; the larger, dominant fish of a pair turns female and the other stays male. Mixing species, or adding a second pair, often ends in fighting unless the tank is very large.

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Ocellaris vs Percula clownfish

The two most popular clownfish look almost identical. The quickest tell is the black outline: thick on Percula, thin or missing on Ocellaris.

Ocellaris
Percula
FeatureOcellarisPercula
Scientific nameAmphiprion ocellarisAmphiprion percula
Black outlineThin or noneThick, around bars and fins
Dorsal spinesUsually 11Usually 10
ColourOrangeBrighter orange to red-orange
Adult size3–4 in (8–10 cm)3–4 in (8–10 cm)
Wild rangeEastern Indian Ocean to the western Pacific (Indonesia, Philippines, NW Australia)Northern Queensland, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
Wild host anemonesHeteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea, Stichodactyla mertensiiHeteractis crispa, Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea
Minimum tank (pair)20 gal (76 L)20 gal (76 L)
TemperamentPeacefulPeaceful
Captive-bredVery commonVery common
Typical price$20–40$30–50
Designer morphsBlack, Snowflake, Naked, Midnight, Black Ice, Domino, MochaPicasso, Platinum

How many types of clownfish are there?

About 28 to 30 species. Most lists give around 28 Amphiprion species plus the Maroon clownfish, which has its own genus, Premnas, in older sources but is now often called Amphiprion biaculeatus. The count shifts because the White-bonnet (A. leucokranos) and Thielle's anemonefish (A. thiellei) are often treated as natural hybrids, and new species such as A. pacificus (2010) and A. barberi (2008) were described recently.

Species without a full profile here because they are rarely or never sold: Chagos anemonefish (Amphiprion chagosensis), Mauritian anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysogaster), Seychelles anemonefish (Amphiprion fuscocaudatus), Madagascar anemonefish (Amphiprion latifasciatus), Oman anemonefish (Amphiprion omanensis), Australian anemonefish (Amphiprion rubrocinctus), Pacific anemonefish (Amphiprion pacificus), White-bonnet anemonefish (Amphiprion leucokranos), Thielle's anemonefish (Amphiprion thiellei).

What type of clownfish is Nemo?

Nemo is an Ocellaris clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, and so is his dad Marlin. Ocellaris are orange with three white bars and thin black outlines. They are the most common clownfish in the hobby, captive-bred in huge numbers, peaceful, and a good first saltwater fish for a 20 gallon or larger tank.

Designer morphs such as the Snowflake, Black Ice, and Naked are all bred from Ocellaris, while Picasso and Platinum lines are mostly Percula. Morphs share their parent species' care needs.

How to identify a clownfish

  1. Step 1

    Count the bars

    Count the white (or gold) vertical bars on an adult: none, one head bar, two, or three. Juveniles of some species show extra bars that fade.

  2. Step 2

    Check the body colour

    Note the base colour: orange, red, maroon, black, brown, yellow, or pink. Designer morphs may be black, white, or patchy.

  3. Step 3

    Check the black edging

    Look at the outline around the bars. Thick black edges point to Percula; thin or none to Ocellaris.

  4. Step 4

    Check the fins and tail

    Look for black pelvic fins (Cinnamon, Maldives), a yellow or white tail (Clarkii, Sebae, Orange-fin), or a white back stripe (skunk clownfish).

  5. Step 5

    Compare similar species

    Open the profile and compare it with look-alikes such as Ocellaris vs Percula, Maroon vs Tomato, and Clarkii vs Sebae.

Clownfish types FAQ

How many types of clownfish are there?

There are about 28 to 30 recognised clownfish species: roughly 28 in the genus Amphiprion plus the Maroon clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus), which many scientists now also place in Amphiprion. The exact count depends on the authority, because a few fish are treated as natural hybrids. Breeders also sell dozens of designer morphs, but those are colour varieties, not species.

What type of clownfish is Nemo?

Nemo and his dad Marlin are Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), also called the false percula. They are orange with three white bars and thin black outlines, and live in magnificent sea anemones in the wild.

What is the difference between ocellaris and percula clownfish?

Percula clownfish have thick black outlines around their white bars and fins, a brighter orange colour, and usually 10 dorsal spines. Ocellaris have thin or no black outlines and usually 11 dorsal spines. Both are peaceful, captive-bred, and suit a 20 gallon tank.

What is the rarest clownfish?

Among species, the Wide-band (Amphiprion latezonatus) and McCulloch's clownfish (A. mccullochi) from around Lord Howe Island, and island endemics like the Chagos and Mauritian anemonefish, are among the rarest in the hobby. Among designer morphs, top-grade Lightning Maroons and Gold Nugget Maroons are some of the hardest to find and most expensive.

Do clownfish need an anemone?

No. Captive-bred clownfish live healthy lives without an anemone and often host a coral, powerhead, or tank corner instead. An anemone is optional; if you want one, a bubble-tip anemone is the easiest host, and Maroon, Tomato, Cinnamon, and Clarkii clowns take to it most readily.

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